Wiltshire: Decision to be made on deadly pathogen research facility
Mr Glen, whose Salisbury constituency is home to Porton Down, told the Commons that "Porton has remained instrumental in delivering translational health research for our nation".The UKHSA's £27m Robinson Building opened in Wiltshire in 2022, one of two facilities that made up a new £65m vaccine evaluation centre during the Covid-19 pandemic. Mr Glen said this decision "reinforced" his point and asked why such a "significant" capital investment was made if the centre was to be moved to Harlow. He called for a "serious review of what is going on here" and continued: "Effectively what we're doing is clinging, I think, to a redundant plan."
In 2015, HM Treasury approved Public Health England's outline business case for a new £530m national integrated hub for public health science.Funding for the programme was used to purchase the Harlow site in 2017 and it was planned that both the laboratories and workforce from Porton Down and Colindale in London would be relocated there.
But the Commons Public Accounts Committee, which looks at whether Government schemes provide value for money, warned of "spiralling" costs, which had risen by more than 500% since 2015 - putting the price tag at more than £3bn.Dame Meg Hillier, the committee chairwoman, said as time passes with no decision made, a "risk" of a gap in service for the UK's high containment public health laboratories service grows.A report by the National Audit Office, in February, found failings to establish the new site had "undermined" the UK's future resilience to dangerous diseases.
'Over a decade'
Intervening in Mr Glen's speech, Chris Vince, Labour MP for Harlow, said: "We really want a decision on this particular, whether it's a move or not, because actually both our constituents are currently in limbo."Responding, Ms Dalton told MPs that if the Harlow project continues "things will not happen overnight" due to rigorous scientific requirements.She said: "[This] means that completion will take over a decade, and that's why we continue to invest in maintaining our current site and facilities at Porton Down."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
15 minutes ago
- The Independent
Molly-Mae says daughter Bambi has been part of ‘biting pandemic' at nursery
Molly-Mae Hague has revealed that her daughter Bambi is part of a 'biting pandemic' at her nursery, as she admits she 'doesn't know' the best way to deal with her two-year-old's behaviour. In a vlog posted to YouTube on Sunday (17 August), the influencer said that Bambi's nursery contacted her to tell her that her child has been biting others. 'Basically at her nursery at the minute, there's a bit of a biting pandemic going on and all of the children are biting one another.' The 26-year-old mother said she was torn on whether to treat Bambi to ice cream later that day, as she was concerned that it was a 'reward for bad behaviour'. However, she said she didn't know if she 'should bring attention to it', as she believes Bambi may be biting 'to get a reaction'.
Daily Mail
16 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Revealed: The bizarre new dinner party etiquette rule for 2025 - as almost half of people say the gatherings are 'ruined' completely
Dinner party guests should let their hosts known in advance if they're taking weight loss jabs such as Ozempic, according to a bizarre new etiquette rule. Six in ten Brits (61 per cent) believe the correct modern etiquette is to call ahead of a dinner or lunch party - to notify the host you are taking weight loss drugs, according to a new study. An estimated 1.5 million Britons are now using Ozempic, Mounjaro or Wegovy, yet 20 per cent of party hosts say they have been annoyed at having cooked a delicious meal, only for guests to push food around their plate. The study was carried out by insights agency Perspectus Global and surveyed 2,000 Brits. Of those who are on the drugs, as many as 80 per cent agree, they now find the social side of eating and drinking uncomfortable. Nearly half (47 per cent) say that they have ruined their enjoyment of dinner parties entirely. Almost a quarter (22 per cent) have offended a host, by being unable to eat the food they'd prepared, while one in ten have even hidden food in a napkin at someone's house to avoid embarrassment. And it's not just food that's spoiled, with 18 per cent of those on injections saying that they can no longer enjoy nice wine or cocktails. Harriet Scott from insights agency Perspectus Global which carried out the survey of 2,000 Brits, said: 'Weight loss drugs may be a cure for obesity that we've been looking for, for decades, but we're still in the early days of their use and they will have ripple effects which we won't be aware of yet. 'The fact that their use can make social eating difficult is just one unforeseen effect. 'This research proves that shared meals may become more awkward until we work past the social difficulties and adapt our menus.' And the data has revealed a list of 20 injection friendly dinner party dishes, for those cooking for guests with little, to no appetite. Among the list was a small prawn cocktail (21 per cent) melon and prosciutto (15 per cent), fish soup (13 per cent) or a small fillet steak with some simple greens (18 per cent). While 14 per cent of hosts say a sorbet makes a great choice of pudding, and to start, rather than filling appetisers, some simple crudités and dips (14 per cent) Salmon Gravadlax, Thai beef salads, sashimi and prawn summer rolls are other options one may consider when throwing a soiree for guests on a medical weight-loss programme. It comes after Mounjaro manufacturer Lilly sparked panic among slimmers after revealing it would more than double the price of the drug in the UK. The US pharmaceutical giant announced the cost would soar from September 1, with the wholesale price of a month's supply of the highest dose rising from £122 to £330. Lilly claimed it had initially launched Mounjaro in the UK at a price 'significantly below the European average to prevent delays in NHS availability' but that this must now change 'to ensure fair global contributions to the cost of innovation'. The announcement, however, does not affect the price the NHS pays, as the service has negotiated a heavily discounted rate for those getting the drug on prescription. But there are thought to be around 1.5 million people on weight loss drugs in the UK with more than half of them on Mounjaro—and estimates suggest nine in 10 pay for these drugs privately. Users flocked to social media warning denouncing the move, worried they were now left with no option but to come off the 'life changing' jab. 'I have no one to talk to about this and I'm freaking out,' one wrote on Reddit. 'Call it dramatic but I just cannot afford this, and this med is my only lifeline right now. I'm absolutely devastated. I don't know what to do.' Another said: 'I'm totally freaking out about it! I'm only about to go onto my 2nd pen now. The black market is going to be even more rife than ever due to this, fuming.' The main concern among slimmers is regaining weight after being forced to stop Mounjaro. Evidence suggests currently only around 2 to 10 per cent of people keep all their lost weight off if they stop taking the jabs, known collectively as GLP-1s. The spread of 'fat jabs' such as Ozempic could lead to a rise in the state pension age because previously obese workers will live longer than expected, Government advisers have warned. Users of the drugs, which also include Mounjaro and Wegovy, typically lose about 15 per cent of their body weight, leading to knock-on health benefits such as lower cholesterol levels and reduced blood pressure. A Government source told The Mail on Sunday yesterday: 'Obviously everyone can see the health benefits. But some people in the Treasury are worried about the impact on the pension crisis. Obesity is a big killer. 'And if people are starting to live a lot longer because they're not overweight that's quickly going to become an issue. Especially if we're going to see it regularly being prescribed on the NHS, as Wes is advocating.'
Telegraph
16 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Reeves threatened with legal action over protection for bats and newts
Environmental groups have threatened legal action against the Government if Rachel Reeves waters down rules protecting bats and newts from construction projects. Ms Reeves is said to be exploring reforms that would make it more difficult to slow down or block large developments over environmental concerns, amid fears that red tape is holding back the economy. Earlier this year the Chancellor complained that environmental regulation had become a 'barrier' to investment. She highlighted the £100m 'bat tunnel' built as part of HS2, calling it an example of ' absolutely insane costs that are added to essential infrastructure investments'. However, environmental groups warned they would fight any attempts by the Chancellor to weaken regulations, which ensure developers must protect rare species such as bats and newts. Richard Benwell, the chief executive of Wildlife and Countryside Link – England's largest environment and wildlife coalition – said: 'It would be absurd for the Treasury to roll back basic environmental protections when flooding, wildfires, drought and crop failures are already costing the economy as much as £70bn this decade. 'Investing in nature is not only the right thing to do, it is also the wiser economic strategy. 'The Government is legally obliged to halt the decline of species by 2030 and weakening protections for wildlife could make it impossible to meet that duty. We will hold the Government to account on delivery – including through Parliament and, if necessary, legal action.' Paul Miner, head of planning and policy at countryside charity CPRE, said: 'The changes seem to us to be unnecessary and not getting at the main issue. Projects like HS2 have taken a long time because government ministers kept on changing their mind about what they wanted the project to do, and also because they didn't have a sufficiently open public debate about HS2 before they passed the bill to allow it to happen.
